Community energy is about people and communities taking democratic control over their energy future, by understanding, generating, using, owning and saving energy in their communities, as well as working together across regions and nationally.

This database and research provides the most comprehensive and inclusive view of community energy in the UK and highlights sectoral achievements, makes a positive case for community energy and its role in the Net Zero transition, and plays a crucial role in influencing government policy and other key sector decision makers.

Community Energy Scotland State of the Sector portal

A new Fairer Funding pilot to deliver on the Scottish Government’s top priority of eradicating child poverty will provide additional multi-year funding in the form of 45 grants to organisations across Scotland.

The funding, subject to budget approval, will support projects in areas including health, education, poverty and culture and have a total value of £61.7 million in 2025-26 and £63.2 million in 2026- 27.

Just like our climate, local news is in crisis. Old models based on commercial advertising are no longer viable in today’s digital age. News publishers compete with sophisticated algorithms for the attention of their audiences. Polarising rhetoric dominates the conversation, driving wedges into communities. ‘News deserts’ expand as local titles dissolve or get swallowed up by media conglomerates. All but one of Scotland’s national newspapers are owned by companies based in other countries. The gulf between the people who produce the news and those who consume it is growing.

Yet, journalism remains a cornerstone of democracy. Locally produced, public-interest journalism is more vital than ever. Across Scotland, independent, community-based media outlets serve as beacons of hope – run by people who are deeply invested in the stories they tell.

The Birth of The Scottish Beacon

In response to these challenges, we launched The Scottish Beacon in 2023 – a collaborative network of 24 independent, community-driven local news publishers. No two outlets are alike. Some operate as for-profits, others as non profits or sole traders. Some are digital-only, while others maintain print editions. They cover everything from small villages to major cities. What unites them is a shared commitment to impact and community engagement rather than profit.

Our mission is twofold:

1. Strengthening independent local media – Through collective ad sales, funding partnerships, and collaborative reporting projects, The Beacon helps sustain and amplify its member organisations.
2. Amplifying community stories – The Beacon serves as both a network and a platform, elevating stories from across Scotland, facilitating collaborative journalism, and fostering cross-community learning.

Collaborative Reporting: The Green Transition

Since launching, we’ve led several collaborative reporting projects including about the loss of community spaces, increased food bank use and the visitor levy. Ahead of the last General Election, we asked our readers to tell us which issues mattered most. The results were clear: climate change and green energy topped the list. It became evident that the green transition needed to be at the heart of our reporting.

These findings led us to partner with the Local Storytelling Exchange, a non profit dedicated to uncovering and sharing stories of the green transition across the UK,  for 100 Days of the Green Transition: a project exploring community-driven climate action from September to November last year.

Insights from the Field

Local Storytelling Exchange Scotland Lead, Clare Harris, reflects on the experience:

“Working with the Beacon members – everywhere from the Glenkens in Dumfries and Galloway to north Lewis – has been a brilliant insight into the range and diversity of independent news publications, as well as how important they are to represent and report on communities.

“It’s fair to say that there’s activity happening just about everywhere to help tackle the climate crisis; whether that’s from families ditching the car and cycling to school instead, or groups of local people banding together to grow their own food and nurture green spaces.

“Whether these efforts are led by a concern for the climate, or simply are a way to come together, save money, and improve health – the end result is the same. It’s a sense of getting things done and making lives better for our neighbours.

“That’s not to say that the move towards a more sustainable future doesn’t present challenges. There are major questions in most, if not all the communities represented by Beacon members around how we ensure people are at the heart of our renewables boom, for example. And it is clear that those in power must do a whole lot more to support people who are already working for a better future.”

Stories That Inspire Action

Many standout articles emerged from this partnership. I invite you to take a look through them either here on the Scottish Beacon website, or over on Local Storytelling Exchange’s story map.

Perhaps this piece from Ryan Nicolson writing for the Shetland News sums it up – highlighting ordinary people taking meaningful action in the face of government inaction. It’s a testament to the power of local journalism in amplifying voices that might otherwise go unheard.

By continuing to spotlight these stories, we hope to inspire more people to take action in their own communities. After all, real change often begins at the local level.

As well as retaining the fee waiver for qualifying voluntary organisations, fees for the new Level 1 and Level 2 disclosure products will remain at their broadly equivalent levels in 2025.

Read more at Disclosure Scotland

Before looking at how Bridging the Gap is working in Scotland, it’s worth understanding a little more about the work happening within and around Scottish Government that provides opportunities – and barriers – north of the border.

The Good Food Nation Act (Scotland) 2022 was one of the most eagerly awaited pieces of food policy in recent years.  The Act is a landmark piece of systems-led legislation aimed at ensuring that Scotland’s food system evolves to meet pressing social, environmental, and economic goals. It requires Scottish Government and all local authorities and Health Boards to develop and report on cross-cutting plans to address food system challenges; creates a duty to engage in inclusive consultation; and establishes an independent scrutiny body, the Scottish Food Commission.  Put simply – if done well, it has the power to fundamentally change how we do food in Scotland.

Continue to read the blog by Simon Kenton-Lake, Nourish Scotland for more information on this work.

Founded on evidence and collaboration over the past 3 years, this Circular Economy and Waste Route Map is designed to drive progress on three key fronts:

“1. Setting the strategic direction and laying foundations for how we will deliver our system-wide, comprehensive vision for Scotland’s circular economy from now to 2030 – based on Responsible Production, Responsible Consumption, and Maximising Value from Waste and Energy.

2. Setting out priority actions from now to 2030 to accelerate more sustainable use of our resources across the waste hierarchy. We acknowledge the progress we have made against our existing 2025 waste reduction and recycling targets, the areas we have fallen short, and the lessons we can learn as we set out the framework for what comes next.

3. Reducing emissions associated with resources and waste. The Route Map sets out the opportunities we will take to decarbonise the waste sector ahead of the draft Climate Change Plan, to be published in 2025, and our approach to tackling the whole-life climate impact of Scotland’s resource management and waste.”

Read or download Scotland’s circular economy and waste route map to 2030

Through the consultation, Scottish Government want to gather a wide range of views from across communities, industry and public and third sector stakeholders to ensure that their guidance supports sustainable and meaningful outcomes from community benefits.

Throughout the consultation period, the Scottish Government will be undertaking engagement, both in person and online, with key stakeholders and seeking views to help shape the future of this work.

Read the consultation paper and respond to the consultation on the CitizenSpace website.

Many of us were involved in attending and submtiting responses to the recent Budget scrutiny 2025-26: Third-sector funding principles call for views.

The Social Justice and Social Security Committee published their report on 13th November, and have since published a response from Shirley-Anne Somerville, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice.

The Scottish Beacon, Scotland’s network of independent and hyperlocal newsrooms, partnered with the Local Storytelling Exchange to shift the dial on how issues relating to the green transition are covered.

Their work together comes on the back of their Citizens Agenda Project, which asked people to define the issues that mattered most to them in the run-up to the General Election. Climate change and green energy were the top two issues that emerged.

Read more at 100 Days of Green Transition.

Each year, the SURF Awards has celebrated some of the most impressive outcomes in tackling physical, social and economic decline in communities throughout the country. This years winners included Nature CIC for Creative Regeneration, DFN Project SEARCH Ninewells for Removing Barriers to Employability, Kirkhope Steading for Housing and Regeneration, Bute Community Forest for Community Led Regeneration and Molendinar’s Flourishing for Improving Scotland’s Places.

Read more at SURF’s news.